Evolution of Life

Synopsis

A young medical assistant is giving a nice presentation about the principles of evolution. The genetic information of each living being is subject to modifications. Mutations can lead to bacterial resistance towards antibiotics. When in contact with the antibiotic, the resistant bacteria will be the only ones to survive, multiply, spread all over and finishing up to be a big problem for medicine.

Official competition at International Film Festival for Health "ImagéSanté 2010", Finalist at "International Science & Engineering Visualization Challenge 2009"

Scientific expert

Michel Raymond

Institut des Sciences de l’Evolution, Université Montpellier II/CNRS, France
Genetics of adaptation, human evolutionary biology

« During the last century, we have witnessed the triumph of evolutionary biology in explaining the living world. Darwinian evolution, based on natural selection, is the central process building living beings and their interactions: only studies based on this theory are able to improve the understanding of biology. Resistance to antibiotics, herbicides, insecticides, fungicides, etc. developed by bacteria, weeds, insects, fungi, etc. are simple examples of natural selection in action.
Natural selection is acting when variation is heritable and associated with differential reproduction: trait genetically determined are concerned, as well as numerous culturally transmitted traits.
Evolutionary biology has thus many things to tell on humans and their interesting behaviours...»